Forgotten Heart
by mayflower-power
Summary: He was troubled and she was broken and they were both hopelessly, madly in love.
1. Prologue

The funeral was unbearable. There were so many well-wishers, friends of Ichi-niis, co-workers of otosan, school mates of her's and Yuzu's, and what felt like all of the Soul Society. The sympathetic looks and hushed tones from people she was sure she had never met, and positive Yuzu hadn't either, were more than she could bear. So she didn't stay for the after service.

Instead, she wove through figures cloaked in black and ducked out of the building, absently making her way back to the headstone. Her eyes, dead and sunken into her face, were trained on the soggy ground, watching mud splatter her dark shoes..The sound of raindrops falling off and landing next to her evenly measured the time she sat there, absolutely still, absolutely silent, and absolutely miserable.

Karin didn't know when she wearily fell to her knees, or when the tears resumed their well worn trek down her cheeks, but she knew exact moment the reality of the last few days set in and her heart shattered. She stared at the curly writing on the elegant but simple tomb. The only noise besides her desperate sobs was steady patter of rain and distant rush of water.

_Yuzu Kurosakii_

_May 6th, 1990- November 3rd, 2005_

_Sister, daughter, and twin_

_R.I.P. _


	2. AN

I'm not motivated enough to actually write this story but I figured I'll post these little drabble-excerpts I've had for forever. I don't really know what timeline they fall on, and the style is hella inconsistent because, once again, they are little excerpts that I just jotted down one day. Hopefully the cute fluff makes someone smile!


	3. Excerpt 1

"Girls, girls, you must dig deeper, try harder. Every movement has to have meaning, life. You have to breathe."  
The exercise ended with a balance in arabesque and Karin winced when a reminder of yesterday in the form of a sharp pain in her back made itself known. Sensing her instructors eyes on her, she gritted her teeth and determinedly raised her extended leg higher, ignoring the echoing soreness.  
"Rest, ladies." Karin sighed in relief and brought her leg back down into a clean fifth releve before finishing.  
"Karin, show the frappe sequence after the double. Ladies, gather around."  
Barely stifling her groan, she pressed up en pointe and began the exercise. Not a moment in, Madame Grishka caught her leg.  
"You must turn out your leg, no no, other hip stays. Strong in your stomach and abs. No, no you are arching, lift up out of your leg." The corrections continued until Karin could feel herself shaking from exertion. She took note of and applied each command but no matter which way she turned her body, her turn out was not open enough.  
"Rest." Exhausted, she didn't even bother finishing properly, instead opting to lower herself from on her toes directly into a calf stretch. Turning a blind eye to the young girl's momentary lapse in discipline, the petite woman addressed the surrounding girls.  
"You must turn out. Feel your thigh in pase roll back and your heel, forward. You must learn to feel the connection between each hip and each leg. Only once you have mastered having your body in opposition can you balance."  
Karin tried to muffle her snort of disbelief as the familiar cryptic words fell from Madame's lips.  
"Do you have something to say, Karin." Stoic grey eyes glared at her and she bowed her head sheepishly  
The class returned to their respective places at the barre and Karin busied herself with  
working on her pointe, hoping beyond hope that Madame would ignore her poorly timed reaction.  
She had grown to love ballet. Even though soccer was her passion, she had quickly reached the point where she forgot it had been Yuzu who forced her into trying the art.  
Her initial bitterness at being conned into something so girly vanished when she realized that it was actually physically taxing and had an added bonus of helping with her soccer skills. She had such a high level of body awareness that not easily picking up the art, as she had most sports she'd attempted, caught her off guard. She was enraptured and intrigued, dutifully continuing the lessons long after Yuzu had dropped them. But, it was moments like this one, where Madame Grishka stood, glaring at one of her momentary lapses into the sarcastic student she really was, that she really hated the stiff atmosphere that ballet entailed.  
"Are you feeling alright, dear?" When she looked up from her focus point on the ground she was surprised to find her instructor staring at her with barely concealed worry.  
"Hai, sensei. I'm just a little tired."  
With a nod understanding, the woman walked away towards the pianist, already speaking in regards to the tempo and feel of the next exercise.  
Karin fell into the routine easily and her mind began to wander.  
'Find balance in opposition, huh' She couldn't help but flash back to her  
brief but bewildering experience with her zanpuktou, her mind still frantically trying to make sense of something, anything from the fated encounter. Of course, thoughts of zanpuktou and souls lead inevitably back to a certain white-haired shinigami whose title she still couldn't quite remember, regardless of how many times he emphasized it.  
She wasn't stupid, she knew his appearance had something to do with Ichi-niis disappearance and he was more than likely in charge of her safety, but the romantic side of her brain, albeit a small side indeed, wondered if something greater had brought the prodigy to Karakura.  
She couldn't think of any one who more starkly contrasted her personality than he, but he fascinated her. He was every bit as cold, calculating, and disarmingly charismatic as she was fiery, impulsive, and reserved. Once upon a time, they might've been more similar than different, but the changes that Karin had gone through since Ichi-nii's disappearance served only to firmly juxtapose their personalities.  
The grand clock in the lobby chimed 5:00, ending the lessons for the day, as well as her musings.  
*rumi and karin talk about toshiro*  
Rumi and Karin made their way out of the studio, ignoring the crowd of girls around them.  
"I don't know Karin, it doesn't sound like he thinks of it as a chore. Honestly, from what you've told me, I'd say he liiikes you."  
Karn rolled her eyes, carefully wording her answer.  
"That's definitely not it, he's one of my brother's friends, and we've only just met. We're not even friends. He's...really elite from where he comes from. I'm a total little kid to him."  
Before Rumi could question where exactly he did come from, she swiftly changed the subject,  
"I mean unless he's like a pedophile. In which case I don't think i want him liking me."  
Undeterred, Rumi rolled her eyes back at her.  
"He can't be THAT old and I'm sure-"  
"Kawai!"  
"So cute!"  
"How old is he?"  
Rumi was cut off by squealing and giggling. Assuming it was just someones older brother who had caught the mob of ballerinas' attention, Karin made to continue talking but she quickly realized that Rumi was on her toes, peering over the crowd.  
Sighing, Karin resumed walking, ignoring the obnoxious chatter around her. She felt a small hand wrap around her wrist.  
"Aren't you curious, Karin-chan? C'mon, let's see what the fuss is about."  
She grumbled to herself, but nonetheless allowed the tiny girl to pull her to the front of the crowd.  
When she finally laid eyes on the center of the fuss, she began to backpedal immediately, praying he hadn't seen her. But it was too late.  
Shocking teal eyes lifted from their focus on the cellphone in his hand to her own casually appraising her with a slightly mischievous but otherwise blank expression.  
"Yo, Karin-san."  
Rumi glanced between the two, realization dawning in her eyes. She leaned closer to Karin and whispered into her ear,  
"I'd be that pedophile's victim."  
She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Karin, not expecting her friend's innuendo, forgot herself, only managing to embarrassedly squeak,  
"Hitsugaya-sama."  
He pushed off the wall he was leaning against and strolled over to her, oblivious to (or perhaps ignoring) the squealing his self assured actions and stern facial expression caused.  
The girls parted, making way for him, and Karin took the opportunity to run. Before the first step could hit the ground however, he was suddenly beside her, effectively eliminating any chance of her escape.  
The mischievous glint back in his eye, he grabbed her bag from her, and spun on his heel, leaving her alone with Rumi, who at this point was grinning maniacally, not even glancing to see if she'd follow.  
'Arrogant brat. Thinking I'd just follow him without any sort of explanation.' She glared at his retreating 'd show him. There was only one thing to do to wipe that smirk, that she knew was there even if she couldn't see it from her vantage point, off his annoying but admittedly devilishly handsome face. She'd stay right where she-'  
"Not even friends, huh? He's helping you carry your things! What else does he do for you!?"  
Karin's eyes widened and she quickly stumbled backwards barely processing what her normally conservative friend had just insinuated. Suddenly, unpredictable, arrogant shinigami seemed like the lesser of the evils.  
She ran after him, trying her hardest to quell her furious blushing.


	4. Excerpt 2

The first time he heard her cry, he swore he'd never let it happen again.  
It was his night to patrol Karakura and he had just settled onto a high roof. His eyes absentmindedly scanned his surroundings and somewhere in the back of his thoughts registered that there wasn't a clear bit of sky in sight. The town desperately needed a break from the constant humidity it was experiencing, and the longer it went on, the more he began to wonder if the chain of storms was really natural. The night was muggy and humid but it was peaceful, a blessed change from his office in the soul society. He was just begining to settle in when he heard it.  
A soft whimper breaking the stillness. The sound wasn't coming from nearby, but his trained senses heard it as clearly as if he'd been mere feet away. Crying.  
He followed the noise anxiety gripping his chest. Was it a hollow attack? Was some one hurt? He anxiously tightened his grip on his zanpuktou as he ran across the rooftops. He didn't pay attention to where he was going, he just followed the woeful cries and trusted his instincts to take him to the source. When he got there however, he found himself wondering how he didn't realize what was happening sooner.  
Yuzu's death.  
The funeral.  
The attack.  
The poor girl had had no time to properly grieve, so here she was, on her first day not fighting nearly a year later, paying respects to the lost. He released his hold on his sword and relaxed, quietly observing the scene.  
"It was raining when mom died, remember? It was my favorite weather, but even back then you hated it. She went to pick Ichi-nii up from karate, and you and I argued who would hand her her umbrella. You ended up doing it and I cried. I cried a lot when we were small, didn't I? But when Ichi-nii came running home, saying mom had died, all I felt was numb, for once no tears would come. I remember the only thing...the only thing I could think was 'I want to die on a night as beautiful as this one.' I felt like a monster. Everyone was in tears, the funeral was the worst. Suddenly I was the rock of the family. Not because I was strong, I think that's what you all assumed, not because I was reliable or dependable, just because I couldn't make myself grieve her death. Because part of me couldn't believe it and the other part… the other part was just happy she got to die on a night like that one. I tried to hate the rain, remember? It was easy for you because you never liked it, but I knew it was a lie every time I told someone. I never stopped saying that I did though, but at some point I stopped denying it to myself. The truth is, I love the rain. And after okasan died, I still loved it because it made me feel closer to her. The gods don't seem to like me feeling that way, though. Because it can't be a coincidence that you died the same way, the same night. After you-" She paused, swallowing thickly as she searched for words.  
"The rain started that night. Remember what you told me? Right before you stopped breathing? 'I'm just sad the sun is hiding. I'd liked to have seen it again.' It hasn't stopped since then you know. It's the wettest year in history. When it's not raining, the skies are overcast and gloomy. I-I..I think it's my fault." She burst into violent sobs at this point and began shouting at the heavens.  
"I get it okay? I should've mourned! I shouldn't love the thing that killed okaasan, but you didn't have to take her! Yuzu didn't deserve to die! Look! I'm crying now! Isn't that enough for you? I get it! I hate it. Thats what you wanted wasn't it? So make it stop! I can't look outside every day and watch it taunt me, yoU KILLED HER DAMMIT WASNT THAT ENOUGH?"  
Toshiro wasn't even aware he had moved until suddenly Karin was in his arms and he could feel every sob wrack through her small frame.  
She muttered incoherently through gasps and in between sobs but he paid no attention to what she was saying, opting instead to whisper condolences to her. But then he noticed a figure in the distance, a soul, based off of it's fuzzy outline. As if sensing his gaze, it turned to face him and he gasped in surprise as pieces clicked.  
They never found Yuzu in the soul society. They assumed they were just missing her, Ragunkoi was big, but what if she had never passed over?  
"She can't go and she doesn't know why. It's the sun. The sun-" Karin mumbled over and over and Toshirou's throat tightened.  
All this time, Karin had been keeping her twin company at her grave, even though Yuzu didn't even know who she was, because she knew that Yuzu couldn't pass over. Until the storm system passed, which it showed no sign of doing, Karin was stuck facin herdead sister day after day. The emotional toll was immeasurable.  
"Shhh, it's not your fault, it's not." He stroked her hair softly and tightened his hold.  
"She'll see the sun Karin, she will. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself like this. She's dead but it's not your fault, you need to understand that."  
Her sobs slowly turned to sniffles and with a shuddering breath, Karin fell asleep against his chest. The grave was once again silent.  
A few moments passed before he was startled out of his thoughts by a sudden shout of happiness. Yuzu in the distance was twirling in circles, laughing and smiling. Confused, Toshirou followed her gaze.  
Large fluffy storm clouds parted and amidst hues of pink, orange, and blue, a fiery circle rose into the sky. Sunrise.  
Pausing in her playful giggles, Yuzu turned to the pair.  
"I love you, Karin-chan." A soft smile graced her features and she slowly faded into nothing. In her sleep, Karin sighed, a years worth of tension and heartache escaping from her shoulders.

Toshirou sat there for a while, contemplating all he had discovered, but he eventually took note of the time and, as gently as possible, took Karin back home. He tucked her in and turned to leave but a small hand darted out and grabbed his own.  
"Stay with me?" Her eyes, red from tears, peered out from under her pile of blankets, begging him not to leave. Without a second thought, he climbed into the bed, pulling her into his arms. It wasn't long before she was asleep again. It wasn't until after he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and made himself comfortable that he finally responded quietly.  
"Always."  
So every night like clockwork, he'd patrol the city and then, as promised, make his way to her bedroom where she'd be waiting, tucked under half the blankets leaving the rest for him. He would refuse the covers at first, but he'd always give in without much resistance  
'She needs this' he would think to himself as he slid between the sheets.  
'she needs you to be there for her' he'd decide, as she whimpered and he snaked his arm securely around her waist, albeit a lot less reluctantly than he could justify. Her nightmares came less often now that Yuzu had passed, and he knew he should put an end to their routine, but she'd nuzzle his neck in her sleep, mumbling to herself, and he'd conveniently forgot his responsibilities. For a little while.  
'Tomorrow' he'd think to himself,  
'Tomorrow I won't come. We'll stop this.' And he'd gaze softly at the girl in his arms, risking a chaste kiss to her forehead. Then he would close his eyes to rest them, just for a moment, and like clockwork, every night he'd fall asleep.  
In the morning, he'd wake before her and he'd take a moment after tucking her in to study her peaceful face, to memorize it. In the morning he'd don his gigia and borrowed uniform, playing the role of a student he was assigned. In the morning he'd pretend to be annoyed by her antics and frustrated when she'd call him Shiro-kun. In the morning, he would again be a little troubled and she would be a little broken but for now? In that moment he was happy and she was whole and they were both hopelessly, madly in love.


	5. Excerpt 3

"No man, I had no clue how to do it."  
I rolled my eyes at his back, knowing he probably had the assignment done before it was even assigned. Suddenly he turned to me and I flushed, knowing his grin was partially from catching me staring at him.  
"What about you, Karin? I bet you finished, huh?"  
'Hypocrite' I thought snidely to myself, but my response was a playful,  
"I'm not giving you any answers, if that's what you're after Shiro-kun."  
As soon as the retort left my lips, my eyes widened in shock. It was only recently, mainly after he had found me at Yuzu's grave, that I had been that bold around just him. Now, I had verbally smote him and called him Shiro-kun in the same sentence around his friends. I opened my mouth to apologize but his friend, the blonde, cut me off.  
"Oi Toushirou, this is a feisty one you've got yourself!" He threw his arm casually around me, causing my already blushing face to darken.  
"Neh? You're a cutie, aren'cha? How far does that pretty little blush of yours go, hmm?" His lecherous gaze suffice to stop my nervous stammering in exchange for desperate, but silent, glances at Shiro. I scrambled for a polite way to get away from the now much more dangerous seeming teenager.  
"Thats enough, Makota." Shiro, taking note of my discomfort, stood up from where he sat at his desk and removed the aforementioned's arm easily from my shoulders and placed himself in front of me. I found myself wishing he would carelessly throw his arm around me, knowing it wouldn't bother me one bit. But even without the physical contact, his unspoken message was clear.  
Hands off.  
"Aw, c'mon man. Can't you share?" Makota took a step forward, probably to hit him on the shoulder teasingly, but Shiro released a soft, but by no means less menacing growl at his approach. Obviously shocked and more than a little intimidated, Makota halted his advances.  
Shiro glanced back at me quickly, merely a quick flash of his eyes to check if I was alright, but the action didn't slip my notice.  
"I think it's time for you to leave." It wasn't a suggestion, and even without looking at him I could picture the exact icy glare that graced his features.  
I was a bit indignant, insulted that he didn't think I could handle a hormonal dude and some harmless flirting, but obviously my body wasn't quite on the same page as my brain because the pleasant warmth I had begun to associate with the white-haired wonder spread through me and a small grin tugged at my lips.  
"So, seriously, have you finished?" I was startled out of my reverie by his voice that was colored with curiosity. My eyes trailed back up to his turquoise ones from where they were previously fastened on his back. With a start, I realized that his three friends had left the classroom and he and I were once again alone. Shaking off my thoughts, I fell back into the casual conversation I had begun to adjust to having with him.  
"Oh no, I slept much too well last night to. I always sleep better after you-" my jaw snapped shut with a 'clack' and I fervently hoped he hadn't notice my mistake.  
His elegant eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed as they do when he analyzed a situation. All at once, his expression blanked. I cringed, taking in his stiff posture and clenched jaw, knowing his genius brain easily caught my slip up.  
'Of course e caught it,' I chastised myself, 'You were about to tell him you sleep better when he stays with you. If he didn't know before, he surely realizes your feelings now!'  
I cursed the captain that had sent the the stupid prodigy to me and every god who made my nervous formal address of 'Hitsugaya-Taicho' transition into an affectionate Shiro-kun. Because if not for my stupid crush on the shinigami, I wouldn't have manage to get in such an awkward position.  
Mistaking my expression for one of defiance, he opened his mouth, no doubt to reprimand me. After all, my feelings were highly inappropriate, weren't they? He was simply there as a favor to Ichigo-nii, on completely professional grounds. My affections could mess with his perfect reputation. I knew my resentful thoughts were childish, it wasn't his faut I had spontaniously fallen for him, but the anger was easier than dealing with the embarrassment and pain I knew his lecture would cause. To my surprise, his demeanor actually softened and his voice came out hesitant, pleading.  
"Karin?"  
My heart clench uncomfortably and I sighed in defeat; he could ask for the Eiffel Tower and at this point, I was infatuated enough to simply head off to Paris brainstorming ways to procure the structure. So obviously if he pressed the issue, I'd suddenly be confessing my love or something.  
"Karin."  
He took a step forward, and though nothing outwardly changed, I could hear the distinct warning in his voice. I rolled my eyes and scoffed at him, knowing I wasn't leaving the room till I had explained sufficiently. That didn't mean I was going to hand the information over. I refused to be that whipped.  
"Did you need something, Toshi-kun?" I smiled innocently, waiting for the reaction that was bound to come at his hated nickname.  
His only reaction was a slight wrinkle between his brows, but i was too distracted by his light dusting of freckles that had become apparent to me due to his proximity to really wonder, or care, why it was he didn't blow up as he usually did.  
When I caught sight of the wrinkle a second time, I was flooded with guilt.  
'He's stressed enough without dealing with me.'  
I reached up to touch it, only realizing my brash actions after I had gently smoothed the line out and traced the border of his forehead down to rest against his cheek. I made to pull away, but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, holding it where it was.  
"Karin…" This time his voice was barely audible, more of a content sigh and I prepared my response to his inevitable accusation, knowing I couldn't hold out much longer.  
"When do you go to bed?" I blinked once, not quite processing what he had said, or rather, why he had said it.  
His eyes were blazing and they'd lost their softness but a desperate sort of worry was there, dancing around the cerulean edges of his irises, hiding behind his steely tone. He took another step forwards. Now, we were close enough that I was struggling to catch my breath, much less answer his peculiar question.  
"When. Do. You Go. To. Bed?" This time I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping and since the question was one I had not been prepared for, the answer just tumbled out.

"I go to bed at 10:00, usually. You know my shift doesn't get out till late and I usually stop by Yuki's grave to give her some flowers and, of course, I have to shower and eat and do homework. But you know that because you dropped by that one time in the middle of the night-I was just waiting for you to ask me why I was up so late but you never did and i certainly wasnt about to tell you- so I guess you mean what time I actually fall asleep but that's hard to say because...because…."  
Here I stopped and looked down, knowing that admitting it for the first time was akin to finally accepting the fact that my little Yuki, my other half, was really...gone. He didn't say a word, and for once I was glad for his quiet calculation. If he had spoken, I'm positive I wouldn't have been able to continue. Abruptly, I switched gears.  
"It still hurts. She...I… we've shared a room since before I can remember. I always slept on the right side of the futon facing away from her, and she right behind me. When she was dreaming she'd let out these soft little snorts, almost like snoring but more, I don't know, feminine? Because it was Yuki and that girl could probably make burping the alphabet cute, and now its just-" The more I rambled the more ridiculous i felt; he had just asked when I went to bed, but something made me continue, try to explain. A tight ball worked its way into my throat and, horrified at the thought of another weeping episode like the night at Yuki's grave, I barreled on.  
"So i do home work. I mean it has to be done eventually and if I stay ahead there's less to do when I'm exhausted on days where the clinic is busy but I guess it's counter productive because it's not like I'll sleep anyways so less homework just means I'll spend more time down there, we're always busy, what with there only being...only being me now."  
I took shuddery breath, amazed I had gotten that much out with only a bit of thickness in my voice when I hadn't realized it had been weighing on me to begin with. However, as soon as I let my gaze wander up to meet his, it was all I could do to stay standing as the flood of tears I had held in since the funeral forced their way out.  
I don't think I would've noticed at the beginning of our unlikely friendship, but looking at him now I could read the signs as easily as I could my own name. His stance was the same, stiff and domineering, letting everyone near him know he was not to be trifled with, as were his eyes, which were normally how I could read him.  
The change was in his mouth.  
Any other day, any other situation, I would've missed it, or ignored it, but today it was enough to send me over the edge. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a small frown and the bottom lip had pressed in slightly.  
Hitsugaya Toushirou, Captain of the 10th Division, youngest shinigami in history, known for his icy, untouchable façade, was holding in tears.


	6. Excerpt 4

A grand total of two seconds passed between my bursting into tears and Shiro wrapping his arms around me. The moment I was safe in his embrace, the overpowering feeling of loneliness subsided a little, and the tears felt a bit like I had finally taken a breath after holding it for so long.  
We could've stayed like that for hours or minutes, I wouldn't be able to say, but I knew I would be ok the moment my mind successfully noted that I had in fact, not been yelled at for falling in love with a shinigami and that said shinigami was deliciously warm and smelt like the winter wind and watermelon. It was wrong, I felt like in a way I should still be mourning, I should always be morning, she's my twin! But something about the way he held me, like he couldn't stand the thought of the world touching me, like if he held me tight enough my worries would fade away, made me think maybe, maybe one day everything would be ok.  
Eventually, my tears slowed, and I identified the murmur that had ebbed and flowed with the volume of my sorrow as Shiro whispering condolences into my hair from where he had buried his face and seemed to have no intention of coming out.  
As gently as I could, hating that I was to be the one to end the surreal moment, i pulled my head away. He, in turn lifted his gaze to my own, and I almost started crying again when I saw the redness that had invaded them. Instead, to both of our surprises, I burst into laughter.  
"Eh?" The captain's eye's widened comically and confusion flickered across his face. For once, his mask was completely down and something about his innocent expression of puzzlement just added to my ill timed amusement.  
"I'm sorry, I-" I gasped between giggles, "I shouldn't be-" another wave of laughter came over me as I releived the situation and tears, this time jovial, streamed down a well worn path on my face.  
Looking at his disgruntled expression, I managed to rein my rambunctious laughter into only slightly obnoxious giggles and I tried, again to explain.  
"It's just this whole situation." His blank face was a testimony to how little sense my explanation must've made so I tried again.  
"You're emotionlessness is infamous and I believed it when Ichi-nii said you didn't even have emotions yet here you are crying with me over something I should've moved on from months ago."  
The tips of his ears turned pink but instead of blushing he scowled. I thought the expression was almost cuter than his previous one of confusion. Of course of all things I'd be attracted to his frown.  
"I'm not crying."  
Grinning at his blatant lie, I decided to take a risk.  
My arms were still wrapped around his waist from hugging, more like clinging, him so I removed them only to wrap them around his neck. Absently fiddling with the hair at the nape of his neck, I brought one hand forward to cup his cheek and run my thumb under his eye.  
"Yes, you were." I said firmly and, steeling my nerves, I stood on my toes and softly pecked his forehead. Then, leaning my own against his and looking into his eyes (which I happily noted were filled with dumb shock) I tried to convey just how thankful I was for what he had done for me. Intentionally or not, he had given me the closure that had escaped me, I could never repay him for that.  
All the sudden, the shock in his eyes became a mischievous grin.  
"You call that a kiss? I think I deserve a little more than that."  
It was my turn to stare dumbly at him, except where his face had been shocked, mine was utterly stupefied. And red. Very very red.  
If I was lucky, he hadn't notice my slip up earlier or had forgotten it, but I knew that I had to respond quickly and hotly in order for him not to be reminded. I desperately searched for a response that didn't involve jumping his bones.  
"You wish!" I was impressed I managed to say it some what fiercely when inside I felt a bit like a cornered mouse.  
"Ah but if I recall correctly, you're the one who sleeps better when I stay with you." A knowing smirk tugged at his lips and I paled.  
Apparently I hadn't gotten lucky after all.


End file.
